Grinding machines



g 9, 1955 J. H. PERKS, SR 2,714,789

GRINDING MACHINES Filed July 5, 1952 I N V EN TOR. JJsep/z Herman Per/ .5 .57?

GRINDING MACHINES .loseph Herman Perks, Sr., Richmond, Va. Application July 5, 1952, Serial No. 297,230

9 Claims. (Ql. 51-178) This invention relates to a machine for grinding railroad rails. As the result of continued use due to repeated impacts and pressure exerted by wheels of llfi1IlS )aSSll1g thereover, the metal at the inside of the balls or rans flows or is peened downwardly and inwardly toward the opposite rail to form what is known as overflow. This overflow is in reality a bulbous projection or ridge extending along the inside of the ball of the rail and must be ground off from time to time because of the excessive wear caused to the flanges of wheels of cars and locomotives and because of the excessive forces created thereby tending to spread the rails. The overflow 15 particularly troublesome at switches where the contmued pounding of the wheels causes relatively rapid overflow which, unless promptly ground oif, may cause improper or incomplete operation of the switch or eflect a oreakage of the switch points and derailing of locomotives and cars. More particularly this invention relates to a mach ne for grinding or resurfacing broken-oft and rough pomts as well as rough rail surfaces so as to provide smooth contacting surfaces between these parts when in use.

t is therefore the principal object of the invent on to provide a grinder which is supported on and positively guided along a rail while the overflow is being ground therefrom.

Another object is to provide a simple, effective grinder which is easy to set up and operate on the 101), efficient in operation, adjustable to effect rail grinding under all conditions of use encountered in actual practice, and relatively inexpensive to construct and operate. While possessmg all of the features and advantages enumerated, my grinder is, nevertheless, exceedingly rugged and capable of withstanding the rough use to which such machines are inevitably subjected.

Still another object is to provide a grinder WhlCh can be used for sharpening broken-off switch points and for cutting grooves in rails or other articles.

Another object is to provide a grinder wh ch can be used with great facility in grinding switch points, frogs, etc., with only simple adjustments and in which the grinding wheel is mounted with suflicient flexibihty to adapt the invention to a wide range of conditions of use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawing: I

Figure l is a perspective view showlng the 1nvent1on in position upon a rail for grinding the same,

Figure 2 is a sectional view, to a reduced scale, taken in a plane identified by the line 2-2 of Figure l,

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on line 3 3, Figure 1, showing the manner in which the supporting and grinding rollers are associated, and

Figure 4 is a detail view showing the top of the grinder support bracket.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the open frame, generally identified at i is built up from identical end ash itates Patent Zjldfi Patented Aug. 9, 1955 2 semblies 2 and 3. Thus, end assembly 2 may consist of three sections 4, 5, and 6 of standard pipe, such as %1" size, interconnected at their ends by elbows 7 and 8. Sections 5 and 6 are of equal length and have aligned 90 elbows 9 and it) threaded on their respective lower ends.

Referring particularly to Figure 3, it will be noted that elbows 9 and Jill are confronting. Elbow 9 has a short section of pipe til threaded into its horizontal end. Likewise elbow 10 has a short pipe section 12. A bearing rod 13 is received in these sections with a smooth fit and its mid-section journals an elongated support roller 14, which may conveniently be a length of pipe of the same diametral size as sections 11 and 12.

Pipe section it and rod 13 are drilled to provide aligned holes which are vertical when the grinder is in operative position upon a section of rail R to be ground. A side or guide roller 15 has an antifriction bearing upon shaft 16 and a stationary hub 17a which may be integral with, or rigidly secured with, shaft 16. The shaft passes through the aforesaid aligned holes in section 11 and rod 13 and is secured therein by a nut 17. By this construction, rod 16 and its roller 15 are held in fixed rightangular relation with their axes at right angles to the axis of rod 13, while, at the same time, bearing rod 13 is fixed in position with respect to the other frame members. As roller section M has a length a little less than the distance between confronting ends of sections 11 and 12, the roller acts to support the instrument upon, and for easy rolling along, a rail, while roller 15, engaging the side of the ball of the rail, acts to guide the machine in predetermined transverse position along the rail. Rod 13 also acts to maintain pipe sections 11 and 12 in alignment. If desired, a pin or machine screw, not shown, may he passed through aligned holes in section 12 and the con tiguous end of rod 13, to hold these parts in unitary relation.

The other end assembly 3 is a duplicate of assembly 2, just described, so that it is sufficient to identify pipe lengths lid, 19 and 2h, elbows 21, 22, 23 and 24, support roller 25 and 26, side roller bearing shaft 27 for roller 26.

The two end frames or assemblies 2 and 3 are rigidly united at their top portions by a pair of braces 23 and 29, which may conveniently be lengths of angle iron cut away at their ends, as clearly shown, to provide connection means with the verticals S, s, 19 and 2d, as by means of machine screws or rivets 3%.

The two braces 28 and 29 are at the same level or elevation and together form a support for the grinder wheel and its bracket, as subsequently described. In order to connect the end assemblies of the frame: into a rigid unit of parallelopipedal form, verticals 5 and 19 are united at their lower ends by a plate 31 which is connected with vertical 5 by a pivot bolt 32. The other end of the plate has a slot 33 to receive a bolt having a wing nut 34 operable in an obvious way, to clamp the plate to vertical 19.

Plate 31 has two notches 3S and 36 opening through its lower edge, to receive the shank of the grinder in two different positions longitudinally therealong. From Figure 3 itwill be noted that vertical 5 has a second hole 37 above the hole presently receiving bolt 32, to permit two vertical positions of plate 31 for the purpose to be described.

The mounting for the grinder bracket is identified at 38 and is a simple flat plate drilled with three longitudinal rows of equally-spaced holes 39, as clearly shown at Figure 1. The holes of the middle or intermediate row are medially offset from those of the outer rows. Two of the end holes align with the holes in the horizontal flanges of braces 25 and 29, through which bolts 4t pass to rigidly secure the plate thereto.

A bracket 41 has a horizontally bent upper end 41a which, may be secured by bolt 40a to the upper or lower surfaces of plate 38 as desired. The depending or substantially vertical portion of the bracket terminates in a semi-cylindrical clamp portion of a diameter to fit about the bearing hub 44 of a flexible shaft power grinder, including a removable and replaceable abrasive wheel 45. In a well-known manner, the flexible shaft 46 may be removably coupled to the hub 44 by a bayonet joint 47. A complementary clamp member 48 has a portion which extends part way about hub 44. The two portions are connected by a bolt 49 to rigidly connect the hub 44 to bracket 41, when desired.

The aforesaid horizontal portion 41a has a transverse slot 42, Figure 4, and two holes 43. When the grinder is being used in position such that wheel 45 must clear the clamp bolts of the rails, the bracket may be used with portion 410 above plate 38, or when a lower position of the grinding wheel is desired or preferable, the bracket is secured to the position shown upon Figure l. In both positions, the bracket may be swivelled about the axis of bolt 40a to vary the angular relation in a horizontal plane, between the axis of the grinder and the axes of rollers 14 and 25; and when slot 42 is used a corresponding adjustment of the grinder in the direction of the slot is available. This direction, of course, may be normal to the axes of rollers 14 and 25, or at an obtuse angle relatively thereto, depending upon the pivotal position of the bracket. A single bolt 49a is selectively used either in one of the holes 43 or in slot 42 in conjunction with the selected hole 39 in plate 38.

The operation will be clear from the foregoing description. When overflow is to be ground off as at switch points, the frame is mounted upon the rail with guide rollers 15 and 26 contacting the outside of the ball of the rail, the grinder hub, if not already in position, is clamped as shown by tightening bolt 49, and the bracket is adjusted to the proper position axially of rollers 14 and 25, and angularly thereto. The power drive, usually an internal combustion engine is then clutched in to drive the abrasive wheel. The entire frame is then translated back and forth along the rail until the overflow has been ground off. Adjustments are made as desired as the overflow is reduced. Where it is desired to grind a switch point, this may be easily accomplished by leaving the grinder upon the main rail, opening the switch so that the point is separated from the main rail and adjusting bracket 41 so that the abrasive wheel is in contact with the switch point at its maximum separation from the main rail and at a desired angle with the point. The grinder then rests with its rollers 14 and 26 upon both the point and the main rail, and grinding may be eflected smoothly and rapidly by rolling the frame along while keeping the wheel in engagement with the point. In this way, the point and rail may be both ground with only a simple adjustment of the grinder. Frogs may be ground with equal facility. in all positions of use, the operator, by grasping portions 4 and/ or 13, is enabled to effect a smooth even movement and control of the grinder, whereby rapid accurate grinding is effected.

It is to be noted that clamp portion 41b has an angular extent greater than 180 so that hub 44 will rest thereon, without rolling off, while clamp member 48 is being bolted into place.

In the claims, the terms normally horizontal, normally vertical, generally vertical, etc., refers to the positions of the parts with respect to the horizontal and vertical substantially as depicted upon Figure 1.

While I have shown the form of the invention now preferred by me, various substitutions and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a study of the foregoing description. Consequently, the disclosure is to be taken in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense; and it is my desire and intention to reserve all such modifications within the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having now fully disclosed the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

i. A rail grinder comprising an open box-like frame, a first pair of elongated parallel, generally horizontal rollers journaled along respective lower edges of said frame to support the same for translation on and along a rail, a second pair of guide rollers having generally vertical axes journaled on said frame to contact the side of a rail and guide said frame in a fixed path therealong, a plate having a series of apertures therealong, means mounting said plate at the top of said frame in parallelism with said first pair of rollers, a bracket depending from said plate, means operable to secure said bracket for pivotal adjustment about a plurality of vertical axes along and normal to said plate, a power-driven grinding wheel, and means securing said wheel to the lower end of said bracket for pivotal adjustment as a unit therewith.

2. A rail grinder comprising an open frame, a first pair of elongated, parallel, horizontal, rollers journaled in horizontally-spaced positions at the bottom of said frame to support the same for translation on and along a rail, a second pair of rollers each journaled on said frame in vertical position adjacent the ends of said first pair of rollers, respectively, to contact the side of a rail and guide said frame in a fixed path therealong, a plate fixed on said frame at the top thereof above and between said first pair of rollers in parallel relation therewith, a grinding shaft adapted to receive an abrasive Wheel, a hub journaling said shaft, a generally vertical bracket, means mounting said bracket at one end on said plate for pivotal movement about a selected one of a plurality of vertical axes spaced along said plate in a direction parallel with said first pair of rollers, and clamp means securing said hub to the lower end of said bracket substantially in the plane of the axes of said first pair of rollers.

3. A rail grinder as in claim 2, the axis of pivotal movement of said bracket being laterally offset from the axis of said grinding shaft.

4. A rail grinder as in claim 2, said bracket being positionable in a plurality of vertical positions of adjustment on and with respect to said plate.

5. In a rail grinder, an open frame comprising a pair of spaced generally vertical square ends, each end including a shaft along its lower side, a roller journaled upon each said shaft to support said grinder for translation on and along a rail to be ground, means fixed with said frame to abut the side of a rail and guide said frame along said rail in fixed transverse position relatively thereto, a plate fixed on said frame above and between said rollers in substantially coextensive relation therewith, a grinding shaft adapted to receive an abrasive wheel, a hub jour- 7 naling said grinding shaft, a generally vertical bracket fixed at its lower end to said hub, means fixing the upper end of said bracket for adjustment about a selected one of a plurality of axes along said plate, said frame including a fixed horizontal bar normal to said rollers, there being a plurality of slots in and along said bar, each adapted to receive said hub in one pivotal position thereof.

6. A rail grinder as recited in claim 5, said last-named bar being pivoted at one end to said frame and means releasably securing the other end of said bar to said frame.

side only of the ball of a rail and thereby guide said frame on and along the rail when supported thereon by said first pair of rollers at the corresponding ends thereof, a support plate fixed on said frame above and in a normally vertical plane between and generally parallel with said first pair of rollers, a power-driven grinder, and bracket means suspending said grinder from said plate between said first pair of rollers for adjustment about a selected one of a plurality of normally vertical axes positioned along said plate, said grinder having its axis generally parallel with and adjacent the plane determined by the axes of said first pair of rollers.

8. In a rail grinder, a frame including a pair of parallel, normally horizontal, horizontally-spaced shafts, a pair of support rollers each journaled upon a respective shaft, said rollers being adapted to rest upon a rail to support said frame for rolling in the direction of length of said rail and enabling the frame to have a component of movement transversely of the rail while supported thereon, a pair of guide rollers each journaled in said frame on :1 normally vertical axis at the end of a respective one of said support rollers and adapted to contact the side of the ball of a rail when said frame is supported at the ends of said support rollers adjacent said guide rollers, a flexible power shaft having a hub at one end thereof, said hub being adapted to have a grinding wheel removably journaled therein for rotation by said power shaft, an elongated generally vertical bracket secured at its lower end to said hub and means carried by said frame at the top thereof and mounting and supporting said bracket at the upper end thereof for pivotal adjustment of said bracket and hub about any one of a plurality of vertical axes lying in planes generally parallel with and midway between said support rollers.

9. In a rail-grinding machine, a frame, first and second rollers journaled upon respective laterally-spaced normally horizontal parallel axes fixed with said frame and extending along two opposed lower sides of said frame, both said rollers being elongated to enable movement of said frame transversely of a rail while supporting the same for rolling therealong, third and fourth rollers journaled on said frame on normally-vertical axes each fixed with said frame adjacent the end of a respective one of said first and second rollers, a generally horizontal support fixed with said frame at the top thereof and extending above and parallel with said first and second rollers in a vertical, median plane therebetween, an elongated generally vertical bracket fixed at its upper end to said support in a selected one of a plurality of positions therealong, a hub carried by said bracket at the lower end thereof in a plane above and parallel with said first and second rollers, said hub being adapted to journal a grinding wheel at one end thereof and for connection with a flexible power shaft at the other end thereof, said bracket being adjustable in each said position to vary the angular position of said hub in its said plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,040,833 Woods et al Oct. 8, 1912 1,340,991 Tabor May 25, 1920 1,347,570 Young July 27, 1920 1,906,872 Perazzoli May 2, 1933 1,987,837 Mall Jan. 15, 1935 1,988,138 Peck Jan. 15, 1935 1,994,152 Talboys Mar. 12, 1935 2,049,935 Woodward Aug. 4, 1936 2,299,198 Williams Oct. 20, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 476,184 Germany May 11, 1929 

